ORC and Wave Launch Trusted Computing PKI Enhancement for
Government and Industry
Best Practices Solution for ACES/ECA Certificates
FAIRFAX Va. & LEE, Mass., October 10, 2006 -- Operational Research
Consultants, Inc. (ORC) (www.orc.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of
WidePoint Corporation (AMEX: WYY, www.widepoint.com) and Wave Systems
Corp. (NASDAQ: WAVX, www.wave.com) today announced the launch of an
enhancement to the federal public key infrastructure (PKI) platform
that strengthens the security of ORC's ACES (Access Certificate for
Electronic Services) and ECA (U.S. Government External Certificate
Authority) certificates.
The new solution is designed to allow the private key for ACES and
ECA certificates to be automatically generated and protected by the
PC's trusted platform module (TPM), a hardware device on the
motherboard that provides advanced security functions including secure
storage. Utilizing Wave's EMBASSY(R) Trust Suite software and an
industry-standard TPM strengthens security of ACES and ECA
certificates and can significantly reduce the certificates'
susceptibility to theft or misuse. ORC and Wave believe that this
provides an important performance differentiation from competitors'
solutions.
This new enhancement is designed to ensure that certificates can
only be used by specified users from specific client PCs. Contractors
who have enabled the TPM and Wave's ETS software on their PC's will be
able to access and purchase credentials from the Wave/ORC website
wave.orc.com at a cost competitive with other providers.
Recently TPMs have caught the attention of the federal government,
which is rapidly requiring their presence on new platforms. This
change is evidenced by recent Army and Air Force acquisition
guidelines specifying TPMs in PC purchases. TPM-enabled machines are
available from all major PC suppliers.
"By enabling TPM technology, which is now shipping in millions of
PC platforms, to leverage the existing federal identity management
infrastructure, we are improving security for deploying credentials,
while maintaining individual privacy," noted Dan Turissini, CEO of
ORC. "This brings us closer to realizing the promise of a national
Internet-centric infrastructure that improves citizens' access to
government services and information, facilitates the flow of
government information within and among the different branches and
agencies, and reduces government operating costs through the
implementation of electronic business processes."
"Wave and ORC have developed a 'best practices' solution for the
federal government and its contractors that is designed to readily
scale nationally," commented Steven Sprague, President and CEO of
Wave. "Many of the new PCs that have been purchased by contractors
include a TPM and have the ability to use the TPM to enhance the
security of storing government credentials. We are pleased to have
been able to work with ORC to provide this best practices solution."
About WidePoint and ORC
WidePoint is a technology-based provider of products and services
to the government sector and commercial markets. WidePoint specializes
in providing systems engineering, integration and information
technology services. WidePoint's wholly owned subsidiary, ORC, is at
the forefront of implementing government-compliant eAuthentication
identity management managed services and associated systems
engineering/integration. ORC has earned several major U.S. federal
government certifications offering the highest levels of assurance for
transactions over the Internet. ORC's GSA IT Schedule FSS #
GS-35F-0164J and associated SINs are available through
gsaadvantage.gov.
An investment profile about WidePoint may be found at
www.hawkassociates.com/wyyprofile.aspx.
For investor relations information regarding WidePoint, contact
Frank Hawkins or Cale Smith, Hawk Associates, at (305) 451-1888,
e-mail: info@hawkassociates.com.
About Wave Systems Corp.
Wave solves the most critical security problems for enterprises
and government with software solutions that are trustworthy, reliable
and easy to use. Wave's trusted computing software solutions include
strong authentication, data protection, advanced password management
and enterprise-wide trust management services. For more information
about Wave, visit: www.wave.com. |
